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Need to know: Wednesday, April 5, 2017
Mormon leader Thomas Monson, 89, hospitalized
The man considered a prophet by the world’s 16 million Mormons fell ill after looking gaunt at the church’s General Conference last weekend.
Swedish prime minister calls gender-segregated school bus ‘despicable’
"This doesn't belong in Sweden," Prime Minister Stefan Löfven said, after a video showed boys entering a bus headed for a private Muslim elementary school in a Stockholm suburb from the front and girls using the back door.
President Trump’s son-in-law secretly met with Muslim leaders weeks before the travel ban
The meeting went smoothly, but any optimism Muslims left with that day vanished as Trump took office and immediately set about turning his anti-Muslim rhetoric into policy.
Pope makes appointment amid criticism of sex abuse response
Pope Francis named a new official to oversee the Vatican office that processes clerical sex abuse cases amid mounting criticism over a yearslong backlog of cases.
New Jersey teen admits he plotted to kill Pope Francis during u.s. visit
Santos Colon, Jr., 17, aimed to carry out the attack in Philadelphia in support of the Islamic State group. But when he contacted someone he believed to be a sniper, it turned out to be an undercover FBI employee.
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Latest news from RNS
Chicago Cardinal Cupich unveils church-led anti-violence initiative
CHICAGO (RNS) Plans to aid the violence-plagued city will be underscored by a Good Friday procession using the traditional stations of Jesus' way to the cross to commemorate those who have been murdered.
Germany dismisses ‘Islam law’ as integration debate resurfaces
Germany has no plans to introduce a law codifying the rights and obligations of Muslims, said a government spokesman, dismissing an idea floated by allies of Chancellor Angela Merkel ahead of federal elections in September.
Singapore to repatriate Muslim cleric after remarks against Jews, Christians
(Reuters) The cleric known as "Nalla" admitted making the remarks, apologized and "recognized that it was unacceptable in Singapore's multi-racial and multi-religious context," according to the government.
More views from RNS
Why I’ll forgo the big-time funeral and donate my remains to science
(RNS) My decision is a bit in keeping with Jewish traditional teachings about what to do with bodies. And some not in such keeping. Which, given my basic attitude as a Jewish agnostic, probably is consistent.
Yevgeni Yevtushenko was a Jewish hero
Yevgeni Yevtushenko was a poet for our time. It is time to re-read his greatest work.
Most young adult Mormons are skipping General Conference. Why?
Only 44% of Millennial Mormons say they have watched General Conference in the last six months -- more than a thirty-point drop from the habits of the oldest Mormons. Why are so many young adults tuning out? (P.S. Sadly, this is not an April Fool's post.)
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Bonus tracks
- Controversial Trump aide Sebastian Gorka backed anti-Semitic militia
- How Robert Bellah helped Martin Luther King oppose the Vietnam War
- Requiem for a college
- A Muslim immigrant and a Christian pastor find common ground — and try to connect with their Latino neighbors, too
- The Jewish Food Society wants to save the recipes of grandmas everywhere
